S.A. feasts at Rudy's I-35 Cup

Updated 9:30 pm, Saturday, October 29, 2011

Fittingly, by the time Austin player-captain Mike Allen walked off the 17th green on the South Course at Sonterra on Saturday, dusk was settling in with creeping shadows across the grounds.

The standings were looking much the same for his squad at the Rudy's I-35 Cup.

San Antonio, working to defend its undefeated streak at the Ryder Cup-style event, dominated the Austin visitors in morning foursome and afternoon four-ball matches. With a 12-2 lead, the host squad needs only two wins in 14 singles showdowns today to retain the Rudy's trophy for the third straight year.

“We just have to keep in mind that this is a fabulous event for a great cause on a great course,” Allen said after he and partner Kody King dropped a 2-up decision to Tom Immenschuh and Gordy McKeown in four-ball. “We had beautiful weather and took on some really good golfers.

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On a picture-perfect day that included cool temperatures and only light breezes, San Antonio captured six of seven matches in both the morning and afternoon sessions. The local amateurs were spearheaded by the team of Chuck Ellenwood and John Stark, which toppled Austin's Ben Carter and Bryan Kennedy in four-ball thanks to four straight birdies beginning at the par-4 10th.

Stark, now 7-0-1 in his third Cup appearance, sparked the rout when he hit his approach at the par-4 third to three feet, giving the San Antonio pair a lead it would not yield.

San Antonio's leadoff team of Pat Youngs, the reigning city senior titlist, and John Pierce kept the good times rolling when they rebounded from being 2-down to Aaron Kaiser and John Perez after the 11th to take a 1-up win. Youngs' six-foot birdie putt at the 15th pulled the match to all-square, and his three-foot birdie at the 17th was the decisive stroke.

“We thought if we could just get to the 18th even, that would be a good thing,” said Pierce, who won the city mid-amateur crown earlier this year.

In the end, only a pair of losses by JJ Wall and partner Gene Williams kept San Antonio from clinching the crown on the very first day of action.

“I've seen plenty of big sports comebacks,” San Antonio captain Pat McMahan said afterward. “Look at the St. Louis Cardinals this year. It can happen. The first one to 14 wins, and we're not at 14 yet. But do I like where we are? Absolutely.”